Guilford Connecticut Homes for Sale and Real Estate

Area Description

Guilford is one of the prettiest small towns in the state, locals often say. It starts with the Green, one of the largest greens in New England. It is the centerpiece of this shoreline town that attracted 17th century English Puritans seeking to establish a new home. The 12-acre Green is the centerpiece of a picture-postcard of a downtown with stately trees set in a four-square streetscape lined with 18th century houses where rosebush vines weave through white picket fences. Add stately churches, art galleries, eateries and boutiques.

Area Highlights

The Neighbors

Friendly, very community-oriented, great schools

Market

Upscale, with many types of neighborhoods, including on shoreline, and contemporary and classic New England style.

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Around the Area

In Guilford’s “downtown” area, you can begin a walking tour of neighboring residential streets that offer a fine representation of early New England architecture. Local historians say Guilford’s concentration of historic homes rivals that of Salem, Mass.

Just south of the Green, Whitfield Street leads to the Henry Whitfield House, 1639, a state museum. This is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. This National Historic Landmark is one of the town’s five museums that span 400 years of history and is a unique example of post-medieval domestic architecture and colonial revival-influenced restoration work.

From its shoreline to its woodland hills, Guilford offers opportunities for leisure and learning. There are top drawer public schools and the famous Guilford Art Center, with studios for classes, a gallery and shop filled with art objects created by top local and national craftspeople. Every summer on the Green, the Center presents its Annual Handcraft Exposition, Connecticut’s largest outdoor, juried show of fine American crafts. For those who like to celebrate old New England, there is the Guilford Fair every year, established 1859, held at the Guilford Fairgrounds. Don’t miss the Dudley Farm Museum, an authentic 19th century farm with changing displays, exhibits plus a seasonal farmer’s market.

Attractions include: Bishop’s Orchards Farm, Market and Winery, a gourmet farm market open year round, with pick your own apples, peaches, and berries, seasonally, plus a wine tasting room featuring their own fruit wines; Jacob’s Beach, the town beach and Lake Quonnipaug, a sparkling lake in North Guilford open to swimming, picnicking, fishing and paddling; Scenic Route 146 which offers views of harbors, unspoiled coves and marshes filled with shore birds; Guilford Lakes golf course, one of the top Par 3 courses in the state.